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A Short History of Evolution of Indigenous Plants

and Medicine System
ARTICLE JANUARY 2013

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Journal of Pharmacy and Alternative Medicine

ISSN 2222-5668 (Paper) ISSN 2222-4807 (Online)
Vol. 2, No. 3, 2013

www.iiste.org

Short Communication

A Short History of Evolution of Indigenous Plants and

Medicine System
Hammad Saleem1,2*, Syed Muhammad Muneeb Anjum1,2, Allah Bakhsh Awan1, Javed Ahmed2,
Muhammad Ali Raza2, Sumera Hanif2, , Kamran Bashir2, Imran Shair Mohammad2, Jalil-Ur-Rehman2
1

Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
2

Department of pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan

*E-mail of the corresponding author: hammad126@hotmail.com, Tel: +92 3326321271

Accepted Date: 31 August 2013
The importance of plants is well known to us. Life and its growth cannot be imagined without plants. Food
for our survival is produced by plants and they also create a healthy and eco-friendly environment to live
(Sazada et al., 2009).
The use of various parts of different medicinal plants to cure specific ailments has been common from
ancient times in India. The indigenous system of medicine namely Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani have been
in existence for many centuries. Apart from India, these systems are also prominent in Korea, China,
Singapore, West Asia and many other countries. The knowledge of medicinal plants has been inherited
traditionally therefore; the utilization of this knowledge has become important for human existence. In the
old times, plants were used as remedies for the diseases. The oldest religious book of the World Rigveda
provides information about the medicinal use of plant Soma as a medicinal agent by the Indo-Aryans,
which was written between 4000 and 1600 B.C. (Bhattacharjee, 2004).
The plant Soma is considered to have intoxicating characteristics. This plant is used for sacrificial
objectives by Aryans and they also identified its juice as a stimulating beverage (Steiner, 1986). The Aryans
also played a vital role in the presentation of therapeutical properties of other medicinal herbs and plants.
The knowledge of Aryans about a large number of medicinal plants is demonstrated by the work of Charaka
and Sushruta (Kirtikar, 1958).
The ancient Indian literature is helpful in driving the current knowledge of using cinchona in malaria,
digitalis, strophanthus and physostigma in heart diseases and of quassia as a bitter tonic. The indigenous
system of medicine in the Indian sub-continent known as Ayurveda goes back to 700 B.C. and its
systematization is attributed mostly to Charaka and Sushruta who have cited about 700 medicinal plants.
The book Sushruta Samhita compiled in 1000 B.C. includes a comprehensive chapter on herbal
therapeutics and contains remarkable information about the use of medicinal plants (Singh and Abrar,
1990).
Charaka and Sushruta presented their work in the pre-Buddhist period. The rise of Budhism gave an
impulse to the study of medicine in ancient India (Singh and Abrar, 1990). The Buddhist missionaries along
with religious preaching paid much attention to treat the sick and wounded persons in Siberia and Central
Asia. In other sense, they were the medical missionaries.
The first materia medica was developed by Greeks while the pharmacy began from Hippocrates (460
B.C.) who was also called the father of medicine. Jheophratus (287-370 B.C.) made great contribution by
writing two huge books on history and classes of plants in which they mentioned 500 plant based drugs.
Islam plays a major function in the evolution of a separate branch of therapy based on the philosophy of
Al-Quran and Al-Sunnah (Guorra, 1979). Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) quoted beneficial properties of
different plants such as Crotalaria juncea and Nigella sativa. His wife (Hazrat Aisha Siddiqa R.A) and other
companions had sufficient know-how about the herbal medicines and they used them in the treatment of

Journal of Pharmacy and Alternative Medicine

ISSN 2222-5668 (Paper) ISSN 2222-4807 (Online)
Vol. 2, No. 3, 2013

www.iiste.org

injures and diseases.

In the Islamic era of science (500 A.D.-1700 A.D.), the aims of herbal medicine were expanded. The
muslims amended the Greek system of medicine which smoothened the direction for the renaissance in
Europe. Muslims interpreted the medical work done by Indians (Charaka, Sushruta, Nidana) and Greeks
into arabic. Opium was the most important medicinal plant innovated by the muslims/arabs into India
(Saeed, 1978).
History of Herbal Medicines (Bhattacharjee, 2001).
Period

Approximate
number of
plants used

Remarks on changes

Literature

Building a Pharmacopoeia.
3000 B.C. to 1000 B.C.

289

Vedic texts.
Charaka.

1500 B.C. to 500 A.D.

650

1. Incorporation of new drugs.

Astanga.

2. Discarding of old drugs.

Sushruta.
Sangraha.
Astanga.
Hridaya.

1. Incorporation of new drugs.

2. Discarding of old drugs.
500 A.D. to 1900 A.D.

1814

3. Varietes identified.
4. Substitutes identified.
5. Expansion in application.

16 major
Nighantus like
Dhanvantari
Bhavaprakasha
Raja upto
Shaligram.

A great muslim physician, chemist and philosopher, Muhammad Ibne Zakariya Al-Razi (864-932 A.D.)
wrote many books among which the most famous is Kitab-al-Mansoori consisting of ten volumes and
allotted thoroughly with Greeco-Arab system of medicine. This book was transformed into Latin in
15thcentury A.D. Moreover, he was the first physician who used opium as general anaesthetic.
Ibn-e-Rabban Al-Tabavi (883-970 A.D.), a great personality in the field of medicine, introduced his book
named as Fardous al Hikmat comprising of seven parts (Hylander, 1960). The sixth part discusses the
poisonous drugs. The most famous physician and philosopher of all times, Ibne Sina (Avicenna, 980-1037
A.D.) distinguished 760 herbal drugs in his famous book Qunan fi al-Tibb which is known as the
Cannon in the west. It was regarded as the most reliable materia medica of that time (Chartard, 1908).
Another well-known arab scientist Al-Idrisi (1100-1166 A.D.) has made a remarkable place in the field of
medicine. He wrote various books on medicinal plants from which the special one is
Kitab-al-Jami-Li-Siffat Ashtat Al-Nabatat. He arranged a large number of plant derived drugs in six
different languages: Syriac, Greek, Persian, Hindi, Latin and Berber. Another well-known botanist and
pharmacist Ibne-Al Baitar who died in Damascus in 1241 A.D. wrote a massive work
Jama-al-Muffaradat in which he collected the remarks of Dioscorides, Galen, Rhazes, Ibne Sina and
others on a large number of drugs. This book discusses 2,000 traditional herbal drugs from which 1700 are
herbs. He also wrote a book named as: Kitab Al-Mughni-Li-Adwiya-Al-Muffaarada.
The historical development of herbal remedies for the treatment of diseases can be categorized
chronologically into four stages (Steiner, 1986).

Crude drugs were prepared and used in roughest manner such as powdered cinchona.

Journal of Pharmacy and Alternative Medicine

ISSN 2222-5668 (Paper) ISSN 2222-4807 (Online)
Vol. 2, No. 3, 2013

www.iiste.org

Drugs were converted into more active and modified forms such as aqueous or alcoholic extracts.

Separation and usage of pure active principles, e.g. morphine, quinine etc.

Formulation of bioactive substances by chemical methods instead of attempting to extract medicine as

such from natural source.
In 1560, the first chemical substance benzoic acid was separated from a plant source. In 1806, morphine
was set apart and its structure was established by Serturner (1783-1841 A.D.). Strichnine, brucine, quinine,
cinchonine and caffeine were isolated in next 15 years. Quinine from cinchona bark is an effective remedy
measure for malaria and reserpine from Rauwolfia serpentine is suitable against high blood pressure. There
has been a significant revival of interest in the study of natural products, based on the discovery of
antibiotics and the importance which some of the constituents of medical plants have attained in the
treatment of cardiovascular diseases, mental disorders and certain form of cancer.
References
Bhattacharjee, S. K.

(2004). Handbook of medicinal plants, 4, 1, 2.

Chartard, J. A. (1908). Avicenna and Arabian Medicine. Johnson Hopk. Hosp. Bull., 57, 19.
Guorra, F. (1979). History and Philosophy of Science. Foundation Press, Karachi, Pakistan, 134.
Hylander, J. C. (1960). The World of Plant Life. The MacMillan Company New York, 1059.
Kirtikar, K.R. and Basu, B . D. (1958). Indian Medicinal Plants 2nd edition, Bishen Singh, Mahendra Pal
Singh, India, 1, 11-13.
Saeed, H.M. (1978). Traditional Medicine in the Service of Health. Karachi, Pakistan, 8-10.
Sazada, S., Arti, V., Ayaz, A. R., Faraha, J. and Mukesh, K. M. (2009). Preliminary phytochemical analysis
of some important medicinal and aromatic plants. Advances in Biological Research, 3 , 188-195.
Singh, V. K. and Abrar, M. (1990). Medicinal Plants and Folklore, Today and Tomorrow. Printers and
Publishers, New Delhi, 1-5.
Steiner, R. P. (1986). Folk Medicine: The Art and the Science. American Chemical Society, Washington DC,
28.
Steiner, R. P. (1986). Folk Medicine: The Art and the Science. American Chemical Society, Washington DC,
28.

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